Faking It in the Garden

Now, be honest. Which of the mums above do you think might be found in the Lazy Gardener’s garden?

One drawback to being a garden writer is that visitors to your yard expect to see a magnificent landscape.

When I say mine is a “lazy gardener’s laboratory,” that’s exactly what I mean. But one has to keep up appearances sometimes.

So! How do you make your garden look instantly beautiful without it looking like it’s an “instant” job?

Of course you can always fill containers with color and stick them on the driveway, patio or even right in the garden.

But anyone can do that. The idea here is to make folks think you’re such a great gardener, you have flowers blooming IN the garden all the time.

Here are my 12 Commandments for Faking It in the Garden:

1. Shop nurseries for plants covered with flowers (if you need instant beauty) or buds (if you’ve got a few days to spare).

2. Select vivid colors for close-in areas and light colors, or white, for gardens a little farther away. Even with the close-in areas, mixing white in with the colors will make the colors “pop” more. With overcast days, and in evenings, distant darker colors fade and aren’t that noticeable. White will pop even through dusk.

3. If you see a plant you really want, but the party’s not for a week, ask the manager how long the blooms last. I really wanted this incredible yellow flowered ligularia (leopard plant) at Buchanan’s — a great plant for shade. But it had mostly flowers and few buds. Not to worry, they said, these flowers last about a month. My kind of plant.

4. If you have a choice between two well-blooming plants — one a very well groomed plant such as the top mums above, and one like the second mum, a little more relaxed — choose the more relaxed one. It looks more natural.

5. Plant immediately. Plants have been pampered in the nursery and if you allow them to dry out, they may pout by suddenly dropping all the flowers or wilting. Embarrassing!

6. Dig your hole and fill it with water. Let it drain, then fill it again. Again, this is to make sure the plant is getting plenty of water without being kept soaking wet (another sure way to trigger drooping).

7. Handle with care! Flowers in nurseries have often been forced into bloom which might make the stalks extra brittle.

I bought some really neat daisies to set out and then accidentally popped off the two most-flower-ladened stalks. I stuck them in the ground anyway, but bet they don’t last!

8. Water well again and mulch with leaves or pine needles. Raw soil is an instant giveaway that you’ve just planted these!

9. At this time of year, check the sale counters. You can often find hanging baskets with sprawling branches that are still blooming. Plant them and let the branches spread out over the mulch. They’ll look so natural!

10. Also look for so-called houseplants on sale. These are great for filling in bare spots and often winter over easily in our yards.

11. Take care where you plant things. Think ahead. I bought an adorable little buttonbush with cute pink powderpuff flowers. I wanted it in the front, because of the color.

But buttonbushes can get to be 8 feet or taller. So I planted it in the back where it could be seen, though not as well. No way do I want to have to transplant it later.

After all, remember we ARE lazy gardeners.

12. Know the names of your plants! If someone asks, you want them to think you’ve been looking at these a long time!